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Posted By	Discussion Topic: RIP Lawrence Tierney
IkeaBoy P.L.F. Portugese Liberation Front- Liberating Status' everywhere from the Tyranny of Portugal I will die a traitor's death	posted on 02-28-2002 @ 3:24 PM
O&A Board Veteran Registered: Sep. 00	Lawrence Tirney died today and I figured i should do an RIP post for the one, the only head of the Reservoir Dogs. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Veteran actor and B-movie leading man Lawrence Tierney, whose tough-guy characters during the 1940s and '50s often mirrored his troubled real life, has died. He was 82. Tierney died in his sleep Tuesday at a Los Angeles nursing home. Throughout his 80-film career, the actor perfected many gangster roles. But he is probably best known for the title role in the 1945 B-movie classic ``Dillinger'' and the leader of a group of killers in Quentin Tarantino's 1992 crime drama ``Reservoir Dogs.'' Tierney's acting roles often mimicked his troubled off-screen life during the 1950s. The actor was arrested numerous times on charges stemming from participating in drunken brawls at bars and Hollywood parties. ``The people who knew Larry knew that wasn't all there was to Larry,'' said Tierney's nephew, Michael Tierney, told the Los Angeles Times. ``He was a wacky, kind of quirky, comical guy, and a very nice man to a lot of people.'' Tierney was born in Brooklyn in 1919. As a star member of his high school track team, he earned a scholarship to Manhattan College but he dropped out after two years and ended up traveling around the country while working numerous odd jobs. In 1943, RKO studios signed Tierney to a contract when a talent scout spotted him among members of the American-Irish Theater. He soon landed supporting roles in films such as ``The Ghost Ship'' and ``The Falcon Out West.'' Stardom for Tierney came in 1945, when he played the vicious gangster John Dillinger in ``Dillinger.'' That role led him to play other tough guy characters - both good and bad - in such movies such as ``San Quentin,'' ``The Devil Thumbs a Ride,'' ``Born to Kill,'' and ``Kill or Be Killed.'' He also played the bad guy who caused the train wreck in Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 best-picture Oscar-winner, ``The Greatest Show on Earth.'' But Tierney's run-ins with the law in real life took a toll on his career. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, he was only able to get small parts in movies as his troubles followed his moves to Europe and back to the United States. He returned to Hollywood in late 1983 and tried to rekindle his acting career by guest-starring on television shows such as ``Star Trek: The Next Generation,'' ``Remington Steele,'' ``Fame'' and ``Hunter.'' He also had a recurring role on ``Hill Street Blues.'' Tierney is survived by a daughter, Elizabeth Tierney, of Park City, Utah. "It appears my wee wee has been strucken with rigor mortis." Thursday 2/08- CBS: Survivor 4- Marquesas premiere, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation- a new episode, The Agency...NBC: Friends (Joey tells Rachel he wants to rape her), Leap of Faith (new show premiere about a girl about to get married, dumps her fiance, and returns to single life- sounds splendid), Will and Grace, Just Shoot Me, ER...FOX: Family Guy repeat (first death episode), second Family Guy repeat (second death episode), King of the Hill (repeat), Futurama (repeat Valentine's Day episode)...ABC: Whose Line is it Anyway? (R), Whose Line (R), Who Wants to be on a millionare?, PrimeTime Thursday (Cher), UPN: Smackdown...WB: Charmed (R), Charmed (R), VH1: 9- House Party 3...Com Central: Kingpin...USA: Braveheart

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